(by 7 people)
Welcome!
Hey there! My name is Hannah, and I own Mental Infestation Clothing.
I've been using Cafepress for over a year now and have had some success with it, though there's always room for improvement!
I've set up this lens for people to see which websites I've been using to help to promote my store in hope that it will help other shopkeepers to promote their stores!
As I don't have the cash to put into advertising, all the sites listed on here are free to join! And I will keep adding links as I find them!
I hope you find the information on this lens helpful!
Cafepress Related Books on Amazon
Alabaster Box...Two Women One Struggle
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $19.00 (as of 07/25/2008)
www.myspace.com - Myspace
Your space! A place for friends & showing designs.
Myspace is a good site for networking as well as finding friends/fans. Though you are not allowed to sell through Myspace, you can display your work.There are many Cafepress users taking advantage of this website. It's a good way to find new friends to affiliate with and discuss Cafepress related issues. Make sure you add them to your friends list!
The best way to use the site is to make it a little bit personalized. People are more likely to want you on their friends list if you seem friendly and not yet another shop wanting to add them as a friend. Put pictures of your work in your Photos, which you can add and edit on your home page (the page you get to when you first log in). You can set a folder for personal photos (so people know who you are, it's nice to put a face to the name) and one for your designs.
Change the background on your profile. If you can't use HTML, there are plenty of websites where you can change the background on your page. It makes it a little bit more personal, but is up to you whether you do so or not (most people do though).
Sign up to groups, there are plenty of Cafepress groups on Myspace. They're a good way to get information and to promote your designs.
You can use Myspace for posting up blogs with the latest news on what you're doing, and you can post bulletins too. Note that you don't want to post too many bulletins in a short space of time, people don't like it as a lot will see it as spam and delete you.
Classifieds are out of bounds though. Unless you buy your tshirts and then sell them on, you can't post up online stores or it will get removed.
Myspace have recently scrambled up links. You cannot link from your profile directly to your Cafepress page using HTML. You can however post it up in words for people to copy and paste, and you can post the HTML links up in blogs (I think you can in bulletins too, I will need to check on this).
Set up a group, you'll need to have been signed up for a few weeks before you can do this. This does come up on Google searches, and you can promote your store to your hearts content! Don't forget to invite people!
Feel free to add me to your Myspace friends. www.myspace.com/m_i_promotions
www.myspace.com - Myspace
Useful Links
These are a set of links that you may find useful when using Myspace!
- Myspace
- The main page and place to sign up.
- Cafepress Designers Group
- This is my group I set up for Cafepress Shopkeepers. On here you can post up new designs, ask questions and network with other Cafepress designers. There are useful links added as I find them, and a newly added "chat room".
- CafePress Premium Shop Directory Group
- This is a good place to find other Shopkeepers, with links to many Cafepress Premium Store owners Myspace pages, as well as the ability to post up new designs and network with other shopkeepers!
- All Myspace Clothing Co's Group
- This is the largest clothing group on Myspace. Unfortunatly it is full to the brim with spammers and when you post up it will more than likely get ignored, but if your design really stands out, then hopefully you'll get some feedback!
- Promote your CafePress Shop on MySpace Lens
- A very useful lens by KimberlyDawnWells on how to set up your Myspace account for your Cafepress store.
Myspace Related Books on Amazon
Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $17.16 (as of 07/25/2008)
Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/25/2008)
Plug Your Business! Marketing on MySpace, YouTube, blogs and podcasts and other Web 2.0 social networks
Avg. Customer Rating:
Amazon Price: $17.06 (as of 07/25/2008)
www.vox.com - Vox
More Social Networking
Originally, Vox was an invite only social networking page, but has now decided to let anyone and everyone join!I personally don't use this page very often, but like Myspace you can post up pictures of your designs. Unlike Myspace you can actually tag your photos. This comes in very useful as they show up on Google searches!
Again, this this being social networking (the same as Myspace) you can add people to your "neighbourhood" and they can check out the latest stuff you've added and vice versa.
Like I said, I don't really use this page other than to post up my designs and tag them for Google, and to post up news such as "New Designs" or "Summer Sale". I found it a lot more difficult to use than Myspace, but then again I've not given it as much of a chance.
Even if you don't use it that often, it's well worth if for getting Googled!
Feel free to add me mentalinfestation.vox.com
www.vox.com - Vox
Useful Links
These are a set of links that you may find useful when using Vox!
- Vox
- The main page and place to sign up.
- Cafepress Designers Group
- This is my group I set up for Cafepress Shopkeepers. This is a group where all artists on Cafepress can showcase their work! For people looking for new, original and unique apparel whether it's tshirts, hoodies, bags, pins, magnets etc!
www.facebook.com - Facebook
Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you.
I personally don't use Facebook to promote my store, though I have signed up to groups. This is my only Social Networking site that I'm signed up which I solely use for personal use. Though I have seen there are plenty of people who do use it to promote.I can give links to the groups on there, but can't provide you with any other information on how to use it as a Cafepress Shopkeeper. I just felt it worth mentioning.
www.facebook.com - Facebook
Useful Links
These are a set of links that you may find useful when using Facebook!
- The main page and place to sign up.
- CafePress Lover Group
- For all those people out there that adore CafePress.com
- Cafepress Gear Group
- For the heart and soul of the Cafepress community - the shopkeepers. Open for all to network, ask questions, or just vent about their shops when needed.
- Cafepress Designers Unite!!! Group
- For all those who design stuff on Cafepress and want to share their stuff with the world!!!
- How to Create a Facebook Group You Can be Proud Of Lens
- A very useful lens by punchandpie on how to set up a Facebook group!
Facebook Related Books on Amazon
Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0
Amazon Price: $17.16 (as of 07/25/2008)
I'm on Facebook--Now What???: How to Get Personal, Business, and Professional Value from Facebook
Amazon Price: $17.96 (as of 07/25/2008)
Facebook For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 07/25/2008)
www.top-site-list.com - Top Site List Planet
Vote! Vote! Vote!
"Top Site List Planet is the 21st century topsites ranking list provider.
Top site lists are a simple, but powerful system for driving tons of targeted traffic to your website. Join a list or create your own ranking list now..."
There are plenty of Cafepress and tshirt related polls on here. It's a great way to get more traffic to your site, and it shows up in Google searches!
It is a fair way of voting too, you can't vote for yourself more than once (and neither can your customers). Yes you can vote for yourself, you did read that right.
You need to get yourself onto a group and sign up. Once signed up you will need to upload a banner (each group has different sizes they will ask you for), your link and a description of your store. You'll then be added onto the list for people to vote for you!
The only thing that the owners of the polls ask from you is to put a voting link onto your Cafepress page (which you would want to do anyway to get your customers voting).
I don't own a group on there, though do participate in a few. I wouldn't know how you set one up though I'm afraid.
Top site lists are a simple, but powerful system for driving tons of targeted traffic to your website. Join a list or create your own ranking list now..."
There are plenty of Cafepress and tshirt related polls on here. It's a great way to get more traffic to your site, and it shows up in Google searches!
It is a fair way of voting too, you can't vote for yourself more than once (and neither can your customers). Yes you can vote for yourself, you did read that right.
You need to get yourself onto a group and sign up. Once signed up you will need to upload a banner (each group has different sizes they will ask you for), your link and a description of your store. You'll then be added onto the list for people to vote for you!
The only thing that the owners of the polls ask from you is to put a voting link onto your Cafepress page (which you would want to do anyway to get your customers voting).
I don't own a group on there, though do participate in a few. I wouldn't know how you set one up though I'm afraid.
www.top-site-list.com - Top Site List Planet
Useful Links
These are a set of links that you may find useful on Top Site List Planet!
- Top Site List Planet
- The main page and place to start a new poll.
- TopTee TopList
- "Here at The TopTee TopList we're looking to create the most complete list of t shirt sites around. If you're looking for unique t shirts, funny tees, kid shirts, adult shirts, political shirts, animal gear..whatever it is, chances are you'll find it here."
- Fun T-shirts TopList
- "Fun t-shirts, funny & offensive t-shirts, adult humor tees, funny baby
shirts, fun kids tees & more, from the top voted T-shirt shops!" - 100 Best Cafepress Shops TopList
- "Welcome to 100 Best Cafepress Shops list. Cafepress is a place where you can buy custom Sexy t-shirts , apparel, gifts and promotional products from a variety of different themed shops and designers. This list is brought to you by "T-shirts Around The Internet", a new fresh t-shirt blog where we display a variety of cool t-shirts that we find around the Web!
Feel free to join 100 Best CafePress Shops List if you run a CafePress or an affiliate shop." - Top Cool Tees TopList
- "Have a "Family Friendly" T-Shirt Design You'd Like to List ?
Sign up is free!!"
www.iratethis.com - irate This
Make your opinions count
irate This is another voting website. Not only is it a voting website, but it also has a banner exchange option!This is another website which shows up on Google searches (which is what we want)!
You can list up to 5 different designs for people to vote for. You just put up your picture, the name, tags and the price, and then just let people vote!
Again, you will need to put a link on your store in return for your products being advertised on this page.
This is a page I rarely visit, there's probably a lot more you can do on it than I have discovered. I have 4 designs on there and have joined the banner exchange.
Banner exchanges are a good way to get more people to your site. The banners come up at random, so you could be advertising anyone on the list, but your banner could be on anyone elses page at any time. So make sure it says what it needs to and looks eye catching!
There is more though! There is a t-shirt directory too where you can put a link to your store. Though it was a while when I signed up to this site, and I can't remember doing it, my store I believe is on there somewhere!
My page on there is www.iratethis.com/shop/mental-infestation.html and you're more than welcome to vote on there however you like!
www.iratethis.com - irate This
Useful Links
These are a set of links that you may find useful on irate This.
- irate This
- The main page and place to sign up.
- irate This Directory
- The irate This' directory of great resources for t-shirt and gift shop owners, designers and anyone in the industry.
- irate This Banner Exchange
- "By joining our banner exchange, your banner will be shown on all T-Shirt shops already in the exchange. These shops are all T-Shirt related websites meaning that your banner will be shown to highly targetted audience, increasing your chance of getting those sales."
www.kaboodle.com - Kaboodle
Lists and lists and lists!
Kaboodle is a site I have just signed up to after it being pointed out to me by Wontar. It's actually a pretty good site not just for getting your designs onto, but listing things you like (and perhaps things you would like Santa to bring you for Christmas).Kaboodle lets you make lists of things under sections of your choice. For example, you can make a list of "My Favourite Environmental Apparel" and link to all your favourite designs.
You can tag things, you can do descriptions, you can change the pictures and you can get people to rate the products or vote for them!
It gets better too, it appears on Google searches! So make sure you tag your items with your stores name!
Each of the items links back to where you have chosen the item from, so people can purchase things they like. There's also a price comparison (perhaps not useful for compairing Cafepress stores, but for other items such as Nintendo DS or a Gucci bag) so you can find the cheapest on the net!
It looks like you can do as many lists as you want to! But I am a noob to the site, still working my way around it.
Feel free to add me on there www.kaboodle.com/mentalinfestation
www.kaboodle.com - Kaboodle
Useful Links
These are a set of links that you may find useful on Kaboodle.
- Kaboodle
- The main page and place to sign up.
- Cafepress Shopkeepers Group
- "We are the shopkeepers of Cafe Press, the people who make all these cool designs for you to buy. We love our customers and appreciate your feedback!"
- My Favorite Cafepress Stores Group
- "Some of the best Cafepress stores on the internet"
Other Useful Links
Less description, More link!
Here are a list of links to other pages I've found useful.
- StumbleUpon
- "Join 3,201,050 Stumblers & Discover New Sites
Channel surf the internet with the StumbleUpon toolbar to find great websites, videos, photos and more based on your interests. StumbleUpon learns what you like and makes better recommendations." - SplatBanner
- "SplatBanner is a Free Banner Exchange Program.
The SplatBanner.com works just like most conventional banner exchanges or link exchanges. You display banners from other websites on your pages, and in return you earn exposures which will display your banner on other websites that are members of the SplatBanner.com. This means that you get free traffic from other websites." - CafeXchange
- "Over 110 members shops to trade traffic with and growing!
Cafepress shopkeeper? Join our banner exchange program exclusively for shopkeepers! We offer one of the highest of visits to exposure ratio in the banner exchange industry. You get 50% more exposure with us. Most banner exchanges will give a banner exposure rate of 2:1 ( 1 exposure per 2 visitors ) we give you 3:4 ( 3 exposures per 4 visitors). You get 50% more exposure with us."
Fabulous Current Event Designs on Cafepress
Cute stuff for Kids on Cafepress
Eco-Friendly Designs on Cafepress
